Boasting Michael Jordan-Like Stardom, $2,500,000,000 Rich Rapper’s 27YO Legacy Dissected Amid Major Milestone

Hip-hop and basketball have intersected for as long as fans have consumed both. From hip-hop artists showing up at All-Star games or owning NBA teams, the best rappers have been forging friendships with ballers for a long time. One of these crossovers is Michael Jordan and his relationship with Jay-Z. It goes way beyond Jay-Z name-dropping His Airness in his song.

ESPN is tracing the convergence of sports and hip-hop in a new series. You can’t skip MJ and Hov’s friendship. Before they were icons of success, their careers were on parallel paths.

Michael Jordan and Jay-Z’s identical paths

ESPN is reflecting on the most iconic athlete name-drops in hip-hop music. One of the greatest lyrics came from yesteryear Jay-Z in his 2001 track, “Hola Hovito.” “And with the third pick, I made the earth sick, MJ him Jay, fadeaway, perfect,” the former Brooklyn Nets owner once rapped. This early Jay-Z was comparing himself to Jordan, who was coming down his prime. Many basketball and hip-hop pundits would agree that the comparison is not off.

They’re successful in their respective fields and expanded into even more successful ventures. Both are multi-hyphenate billionaires with no signs of slowing down. But even pre-fame Michael Jordan and Shawn Carter had similar paths to global recognition.

Many would forget that before Michael Jordan was the top contender for GOAT, with six championship titles, the biggest contracts of his time, and the earliest NBA superstar at the dawn of new media, he was grossly underrated. In high school, he was demoted (not cut, as the myth goes) to junior varsity to get better.

His time to get noticed came much later at UNC-Chapel Hill. He then became a top draft prospect.

The Chicago Bulls selected him third overall in the 1984 draft. he would go six seasons without winning a title, but he’d already been noticed. Then came the known history of victories and the sneaker empire.

READ MORE: After Paranormal Experience With Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade Refrained Asking for Hall of Fame Honor for One Reason

Not far out was Shawn Carter aka Jay-Z. Heartbreaking family drama, dropping out of high school, and turning to the gangster life, all made Jay-Z a poster boy for hip-hop. But while he had the image, record labels didn’t see the talent. No one would sign this rapper so he signed himself.

He burned his own CDs to sell them out of his car and founded the early incarnation of Roc-A-Fella Records in 1995. Jordan was an NBA champion by that time.

Jay-Z and Michael Jordan’s unstoppable nature

Unsurprisingly, Hov’s and MJ’s paths collided. Fans have gone crazy when these two titans were in the same photograph. Jamal Crawford even asked Jordan to introduce him to his favorite rapper, Jay-Z in his early career.

While Jordan would mentor NBA upstarts like Crawford, Carter would give a chance to rappers like Kanye West. That’s not where their parallels end.

From platinum-selling albums and Grammy-winning songs, Jay-Z went into fashion, restaurants, tech, and even sports. He’s the first hip-hop artist to reach billionaire status. Both were contentious owners of NBA teams – Jordan and Hornets; Jay-Z and Nets.

While Air Jordans are a Nike bestseller, Jazzy is the first rapper to endorse Reebook. Both even have popular alcohol brands.

Michael Jordan’s story is the type the hip-hop bards love to rhyme about. But Jay-Z wasn’t far off when he saw himself in the NBA legend. What is your favorite MJ namedrop in hip-hop?

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